We combine community engagement, direct service, and journalism to improve the quality of life in Kensington. We generally cover stories from Cecil B.
Our mission is to serve the Kensington area with empathy and thoughtfulness while also creating journalism that is for the community, not just about the community. Moore Avenue to Tioga Street and from 6th Street to Aramingo Avenue. This includes parts of Norris Square, Fairhill, Harrowgate, and Port Richmond. Our bilingual content, written in both English and Spanish, consists of news stories, pe
rsonal essays, and resources for people in the neighborhood. We also highlight community events on our website and social media platforms. Our business operates under the fiscal sponsorship of the Federation of Neighborhood Centers, EIN 23-1630073
To read our community guidelines regarding social media, go to kensingtonvoice.com/en/social-media-policies-for-kensington-voice/
12/23/2025
A new mentoring program is pairing kids in Kensington and North Philly with paid, full-time “Friends” who commit for years — including a “12+ no matter what” promise from kindergarten through high school. Kids are referred through schools, community organizations and foster care workers.
via Chalkbeat Philadelphia
Friends of the Children offers families a commitment that the program will be there in a child’s life from kindergarten through high school graduation — “12+ no matter what,” they say.
12/19/2025
Where is Pennsylvania's opioid settlement money going, and who decides? As hundreds of millions more are expected, advocates and families are demanding more transparency and a seat at the table.
via Spotlight PA
Counties battle uncertainty over funding rules while advocates and families push for an increased say in opioid settlement spending decisions.
12/19/2025
Port Richmond On Patrol and Civic (PROPAC) is hosting breakfast with Santa on December 21 at the Columbia Social Club (3621-29 Almond St.) from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Call Anne Paul at (215) 380-9782 to register and learn more.
12/18/2025
Zerbe Arts is hosting “Deck the Walls” skateboard holiday art show on December 20 at Vizion Gallery (3312 Kensington Ave.) from 1 to 5 p.m. The show will feature art from over 20 artists, and all art pieces will be for sale.
12/18/2025
Do you qualify for up to $1,000 in tax and rent rebates? Apply by Dec. 31. ⏰
via Metro Philly
Applications are open to eligible older Pennsylvanians and people with disabilities.
12/18/2025
Friends of McPherson, Impact Services and Free Library of Philadelphia is hosting a winter festival on December 20 at McPherson Square Library (601 E. Indiana Ave.) from 12 to 3 p.m. There will be free food, gifts and more.
12/17/2025
Impact Services is hosting its Christmas with Santa event on December 19 at Scanlon Rec Center (1099 E. Venango St.) from 6 to 8 p.m. There will be free photos with Santa, gifts and more.
12/16/2025
Elkin, Willard, & Mastbaum are now hiring new Safe Path Monitors... 👀
12/15/2025
🎉 THANK YOU to the 51 neighbors who took our Kensington Information Needs Survey! Our $200 gift card winner has been drawn and contacted.
Didn't get a chance to take it? Good news — the survey is still open! We're doing a second drawing for another $200 gift card. New deadline: Monday, Jan. 5. at 3 p.m.
We heard from 51 neighbors. Help us hear from 51 more!
Kensington Voice is running a neighborhood-wide Information Needs Survey. We want to understand how people get information, what you need information about, and how we can better serve the community. The survey is quick and voluntary. You can skip any question. As a thank-you, we’re giving away up...
12/15/2025
In this week's newsletter:
Breakfast with Santa🎅
Skateboard themed holiday art show🛹
And more.
Hey there, neighbors. Coming up this week, Santa is picture-ready for free photos at Scanlon Rec Center, local artists are hosting a skateboard-themed holiday art show and more events are underway. Check it out below. Check out our Facebook and Instagram profiles to find anything that doesn’t make...
12/14/2025
⏰ LAST CHANCE — Survey closes TOMORROW!
Kensington, we want to hear from you. What information do you need? What's missing? Your answers shape our reporting.
Take 10 minutes, share your voice, and enter to win a $200 Visa gift card.
Kensington Voice is running a neighborhood-wide Information Needs Survey. We want to understand how people get information, what you need information about, and how we can better serve the community. The survey is quick and voluntary. You can skip any question. As a thank-you, we’re giving away up...
Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Kensington Voice posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
Kensington Voice is a community-driven news project that began in August 2018 as a journalism class at Klein College of Media and Communication at Temple University. The class was created on a hunch that in a neighborhood often at the center of stigmatizing news coverage, journalists weren’t always meeting the community’s needs.
For several months, student journalists and organizers hit the streets and worked alongside community organizations and residents to form a prototype of what the neighborhood would want from a neighborhood newsroom. We most often heard that “Kensington needs a voice,” and Kensington Voice was born.
We’ve operated as a pop-up newsroom, available to the public in various locations such as libraries, subway and bus stations, parks, street corners, art-making spaces, and more. In January 2019, we launched a digital publication, which so far has included first-person narratives, news features, and solutions-focused stories. Since that time, we’ve also hosted various community storytelling workshops across the neighborhood at Free Library branches and neighborhood nonprofit spaces like The Lighthouse and The Kensington Storefront.
Last summer, we received funding from the Independence Media Foundation to expand our efforts. With that support, we were able to hire three recent Temple graduates to work as journalists, and several student journalists, too. On March 17, we signed a lease for a public newsroom space on Lehigh Avenue, just as COVID-19 began to spread in Philadelphia. While we wait for this crisis to resolve, we are working remotely to serve the neighborhood as best as we can.
Read more about who we are and what we do at Kensington Voice.
